The present invention relates generally to imaging systems, such as radiographic systems, and more particularly, to digital detectors used in such systems. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for supporting a patient's hands and arms in a non-obstructive location relative to the anatomy of interest.
Medical diagnostic and imaging systems are ubiquitous in modern health care facilities. Currently, a number of modalities exist for medical diagnostic and imaging systems. These include computed tomography (CT) systems, x-ray systems (including both conventional and digital/digitized imaging systems), magnetic resonance (MR) systems, positron emission tomography (PET) systems, ultrasound systems, nuclear medicine systems, and so forth. Such systems provide invaluable tools for identifying, diagnosing and treating physical conditions and greatly reduce the need for surgical diagnostic intervention. In many instances, these modalities complement one another and offer the physician a range of techniques for imaging particular types of tissue, organs, physiological systems, and so forth.
Digital imaging systems are becoming increasingly widespread for producing digital data that can be reconstructed into useful radiographic images. In one application of a digital imaging system, radiation from a source is directed toward a subject, typically a patient in a medical diagnostic application, and a portion of the radiation passes through the subject and impacts a detector. The surface of the detector converts the radiation to light photons, which are sensed. The detector is divided into an array of discrete picture elements or pixels, and encodes output signals based upon the quantity or intensity of the radiation impacting each pixel region. Because the radiation intensity is altered as the radiation passes through the subject, the images reconstructed based upon the output signals may provide a projection of tissues and other features similar to those available through conventional photographic film techniques. In use, the signals generated at the pixel locations of the detector are sampled and digitized. The digital values are transmitted to processing circuitry where they are filtered, scaled, and further processed to produce the image data set. The data set may then be used to reconstruct the resulting image, to display the image, such as on a computer monitor, to transfer the image to conventional photographic film, and so forth.
The foregoing medical diagnostic and imaging systems often require patient support structures to orient the anatomy of interest relative to the imaging detector. In some imaging procedures, such as lateral radiographs of a standing patient, a support structure is necessary to position the patient's hands and arms so that they do not obstruct the anatomy of interest. The patient's hands and arms are typically supported either by an apparatus unrelated to the diagnostic imaging equipment, such as an intravenous (IV) pole with sand bags at the base for stability, or by a support attached to the diagnostic imaging equipment. Unfortunately, these support structures provide very little adjustability. Support structures mounted to the diagnostic imaging equipment typically provide adjustability only by pivoting the support or by removing and reattaching the support in one of a number of support positions.
Accordingly, a need exists for a laterally adjustable patient support that is adjustable at infinitesimal increments across a detector of an imaging system.